by Tasha Fawkes
I take a long, slow mouthful of my drink, savoring the moment. I'm determined to drag this out for as long as I can, because me having one over Matt isn't something that happens very often. I'm going to enjoy this while I can.
I swallow, letting the burning liquid roll down the back of my throat and then I lift the glass up to examine its contents. Henry looks like he’s seconds away from lunging at me, so I take another mouthful.
“Rex,” Matt demands, his patience wearing thin. “For fucks sake, will you just spit it out.”
I turn to him and smirk, because I’m nowhere near done.
“Let me enjoy this, okay?”
Matt sighs and shifts in his seat, mumbling something under his breath about having other things to do. I roll my eyes as I walk back over and sit next to him. I place my drink down on the edge of the desk in front of me and wet my lips.
“Okay. So I have some good news. She's on board,” I say.
“Shana, you mean?” Matt asks.
“No. The Queen,” I snap. “Of course Shana. She will help us convince the board that merging with Harris Corporation is in their best interests.”
“And what does she want in return?” Matt asks, studying me thoughtfully.
I shrug and wave my hand. “Recognition. To be free of her father. To be able to get somewhere on her own merit.”
“Okay,” Matt says with a confident nod. “I'm sure we can manage that.” He glances at Henry, who is too busy looking at me through his beady, narrowed eyes.
“I take it you have this in writing?” Henry asks slowly.
“Writing?” I repeat with a frown. Henry nods, a smile creeping across his mouth. I shake my head. “No, but I have her word.”
“Her word?” he scoffs. He raises his eyebrows at Matt, which makes my blood boil. “Her word means nothing if she flips sides, Rex.”
I turn to Matt, who just shrugs. I glare at him. Fuck him for not backing me up here.
“She said she's in,” I growl.
“And if she changes her mind?” Henry asks, that filthy smirk still on his face. “Look, I'm sure your bed skills blew her mind and everything, but what if she has a change of heart? We can't rely on her word on this, okay?”
“So what then?” I ask, frowning at him. I glance at Matt again, who shrugs.
“Seal this,” Matt suggests.
“I thought I already did that,” I mutter, frowning.
Matt smirks at me. “Seal it with something a little bit more permanent than your dick.”
I sit forward, thinking hard about what they’re saying. Getting her to agree to side with us is one thing, but having her sign something to show on paper what she's willing to do? I'm not sure that she'll be up for that. How am I going to do this without her getting nervous?
“I'll get it done,” I assure Matt and Henry.
I stand up and drink the last of my drink, before carrying the glass over to the sink. I set it down then I stalk over to the door and walk out.
As soon as I’m outside I text Shana.
Me: Are you free for lunch?
Shana: Sure. Can you meet me at Bill's Café? It's two streets over from work.
I smirk at the name. Bill's Café. I had something a little classier in mind, but I'll go with it.
Bill's Café looks nothing more than a rundown burger shack. I’m early, so I walk inside and glance around. I highly doubt that this is the kind of establishment where I need to wait to be seated, so I find myself a booth in the back of the restaurant. I look over at the door every few seconds, waiting to see Shana. When I do, I'm taken aback with how stunning she looks. Something stirs inside me. Maybe it’s the way she’s smiling at me? Or maybe those few scotches just aren’t sitting right.
She smiles as she walks toward me, then she sweeps her hand through her thick hair, pushing it away from her face. My cock twitches. I'm not used to this kind of reaction from any woman. Especially one that I’m only supposed to be interested in to get what I want.
“You found it okay?” she asks as she sits down. She gives me a shy smile.
“Pretty hard to miss,” I chuckle.
“It looks ordinary, but they do have the best burgers around,” she promises me. “So…Is this work or play?” she asks.
I shrug. “Both?” I suggest. She grins. “It's never both. I learned that the hard way from my father.”
I wince, because just like that my erection has been cured. Probably forever.
“How about we get work out of the way first?” I say. “Can you meet with us tomorrow? Matt wants something in writing to show that you're on board with this.”
“My word isn't enough?” she frowns.
“It's more than enough for me,” I promise her. “Not so much Matt. From his perspective, what's to stop you from changing your mind and pulling out?”
She considers this and nods. “I guess that’s fair enough. Two PM then? That way I can go on a late lunch break.”
“Sounds good,” I say with a nod.
“Where shall we meet?” she asks. “I don't exactly want to be seen entering Harris Corporation.”
I nod because it's a fair point.
“My grandfather’s lawyer has an office in a building not far from there. Maybe we can meet there?”
“Okay,” she says. “Text me the address.”
I send the text immediately, then look up to find her frowning at me expectantly.
“So is that it?” she asks.
“Not quite.” I grin. “But now we can forget work and focus on us.”
“I like the sound of that,” she admits.
“So how’s work?” I ask. I cringe as she laughs. “Sorry. Force of habit. When attempting to make small talk, ask about work and the weather.”
“I was thinking less talk and more…action.” She waggles her eyebrows.
I raise my eyebrows and stare at her, a smile slowly creeping across my face.
“I’m listening,” I murmur.
She glances around and then shifts forward in her seat. I smirk as I feel her leg slowly move up my leg, over my pants, and rests against my crotch.
“I don’t know. Like how amazing last night was?” she says.
“It was pretty fucking good,” I agree.
She smirks at me, raising her eyebrows as I groan and try to keep my reaction to what she’s doing to a minimum. People walk past us, oblivious to what is going on under our table.
She gently massages my cock as my hands clench into fists against the table. I’m hard as fuck and resisting the urge to order her under the table to finish the job. I let out a low hiss as I struggle to stay focused. I’m getting harder and more aroused by the second. My thighs clench as my cock begins to throb as she grinds her foot against me.
And then she stops.
“I better get back to work,” she says.
My head whips up. I glare at her, She’s got to be fucking kidding me. “I'll see you tomorrow at the meeting?” she offers, flashing me a smile. I glower at her as she stands up, leans over and kisses me on the cheek, before turning and strutting away.
I sit there, breathing heavily, my dick still rock hard as I watch her walk away. If that was her way of showing me she holds the cards as much as I do, message received, loud and clear. I shake my head and shift in my seat, trying to relieve my erection without drawing attention to myself.
That was just cruel.
At exactly two o'clock the next day, I meet Shana and Matt in Henry's office.
“Hey,” I say to her.
She smiles at me and then glances around. Even in here, where nobody can see her, she doesn’t feel safe talking to me. Maybe they were right and getting something on paper is a good thing.
“Stop worrying,” I say to her. “There are over a hundred offices here, all individually leased out. Even if someone saw you come in, they wouldn’t be suspicious.” I point at the wall. “If it makes you feel better, buy a necklace from Simon and Hellis. Hell, I’ll buy you a necklace
.”
She smiles, a blush creeping across her cheeks.
“Let’s just get this over with,” she says softly.
I nod and walk her down the hall toward the office. I’m relieved to learn that Henry is in a meeting, so it’s just the three of us. Henry always has something to say, and I don’t need him putting ideas in Shana’s head. Not while I’ve got this under control.
I usher Shauna into the room then close the door. Matt is already waiting in there. He smirks at me and nods. I narrow my eyes because I know what he's thinking, but on the inside, I’m loving his approval. He turns his attention to Shana.
“Take a seat,” he says, motioning for her to sit.
“Thanks,” she says with a smile.
“So I'm sure Rex told you why I wanted the three of us to meet?” Matt says, kicking off the discussion.
“Yes,” she says with a nod.
“And you’re fine with signing this?” He hands her the form. She looks it over. “It’s just a statement saying that you agree to help us of your own free will.” He looks at her and frowns. “You don't have any lingering doubts?” he asks.
She glares at Matt. “Do I look like the type of person who changes my mind?”
Matt chuckles. “Forgive me if I'm nervous. You're going up against your father. God knows what kind of hold he has on you.”
“My father has no hold on me,” she retorts. “And father is an interesting choice of words when it comes to him.”
The awkward silence is quickly filled when Matt stands up and rubs his hands together. He rummages for a pen on his desk and hands it to Shana. She accepts it, still clearly annoyed at Matt.
“Let's work out the details then.”
Half an hour later, we’re finished. I stand up and watch as she shakes Matt’s hand, and then we walk out. As we push through the front doors of the building and walk outside into the fresh air, I feel good. I turn to her and smile. She takes a deep breath and releases it slowly, before turning to face me.
“Your brother seems like hard work,” she comments.
I laugh. “He can be. How are you feeling?” I ask.
She lets out a laugh and shakes her head. “Okay, I guess? How am I supposed to feel in this kind of situation?”
“Honestly? I’ve never been in it, so I don't know.” I pause for a second. "What are you doing later?” I add.
She shrugs. “I think I might just have a quiet night at home. I have a lot of work to catch up on…which feels kind of redundant, given all of this,” she laughs. “But I still think I need some time to process everything.”
I nod, hoping this doesn’t mean she’s having second thoughts. Now would not be the time to be doing that.
“Okay,” I say. I lean over and kiss her on the cheek. “Call me if you need me.”
“Thanks, Rex.” She smiles at me. “I'll talk to you later.”
I watch her as she disappears down the street. I’m confident she just needs time to get her thoughts together. I smile, because really, this couldn’t be going better. I turn as the doors open and Matt walks out. He wanders over to me, a thoughtful look on his face.
“See?” I say when he doesn’t speak. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”
He nods. “She seems nice.”
I glance at him and frown. “Nice?” I repeat. “I don’t care about nice, Matt. Shana will be sealing this deal for us. She's the key to getting that inheritance released. She knows we're just a casual thing, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“You're probably right,” Matt agrees. “I’m just saying, be careful. Try not to hurt her.”
“Hurt her?” I laugh. “I don't I plan on hurting her. I'm just having some fun and seeing where things go. And a side effect of that is getting her to agree to help us. That's all.” I shrug.
“Things always start out that way, but then in the end, someone’s feelings always end up getting hurt. And more than likely it's going to be hers.”
“I understand that. I’m not going to let it go that far,” I say.
“Fine. Just be careful.”
I watch as Matt walks off. I shake my head at his silly advice. It’s like he thinks I don’t know what I’m doing. Of course, I don't intend on hurting her. It’s not like I’ve confessed my love for her in order to sign this deal. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
I have this under control.
Ten
Shana
The first thing I do when I get home is walk into the kitchen and pour myself a wine. I shrug off my jacket and lay it over the back of the couch and then I pace the living room, my mind wandering like crazy. Adrenaline rushes through me. I don’t know if I feel great or awful. One thing I do know is that I'm shocked at what I'm doing.
Meeting with Matt and Rex and signing that agreement just makes it all so much more real. Am I really doing this? Can I really do this? I feel sick at the thought of taking a stand against my father, but I know if I don't, I’ll regret it. I could be making the biggest mistake of my life, or by not doing this it could be the biggest mistake of my life. If I chicken out, I’ll forever wonder whether I could've done it. The only thing holding me back is that he’s my father. I know he's never going to change. If I do this, my life will change for the better. I have to do this. I nod and knock back my glass of wine.
I will do this… I just can't do it yet.
I need more time.
Time to get my head around it. Everything is happening so fast, and it scares me. I’m not having doubts, it’s just I need to make sure this is done right, or I will be left with nothing.
The only thing is, I'm not sure how that's going to go down with Rex. I like him much more than I want to admit. I tell myself that this is just a casual, fun arrangement and that I'm using him as much as he is me, but the reality is I'm developing feelings for a man who probably doesn’t feel the same way in return.
I grab my phone and call him.
“Hey,” he murmurs. “I was just thinking about you.”
“Really?” I grin. I hate how much my mood lifts just hearing his voice. “Want to come over? I want to talk to you about something.”
“Uh, sure. Is something wrong?” he asks.
“Nothing major,” I reply.
“Okay,” he says. “I’ll be over soon.”
I hang up the phone and then immediately go into panic mode. Maybe I shouldn't have called him, but what else could I do? Telling him will no doubt make him think I’m having second thoughts, which will make things worse, but there’s no other way around buying myself more time.
I walk back into the kitchen and pour myself a drink, quickly gulping it down. My heart races as I lean against the counter. If this goes wrong, I’ll end up worse than before. I’ll have nothing. I jump at the sound of someone knocking on the door, but I take a deep breath and pull myself together. I'm feeling much more relaxed, until I catch sight of my reflection in the hallway mirror. I stare at myself, horrified. I’m a mess.
“Just a second,” I call out. I quickly dash into the bathroom and splash water over my face then I pull out my hair tie and run a brush through my hair, before tying it back in a fresh ponytail. I nod. I look marginally better. My heart races as I head toward the door.
“What's wrong?” he says when I open it. This time I can't lie because I know the stress is written all over my face.
“It’s nothing really,” I say. I walk into the living room with him behind me. “I just need more time,” I say.
“More time?” He frowns. “More time for what?”
“Look, this is big for me. I'm not backing out at all and I won’t back out, but…” I shake my head. “I guess I don't feel prepared. I’m not ready to approach the board with this Harris Corporation merger offer. You need to understand how big this is. I need to get my head around it and be confident one hundred percent, because if they catch even the tiniest bit of hesitation in me, they won't go for it.” I sigh and look him in th
e eye, hoping he’ll realize he can trust me. “I wouldn't ask for this if I didn't really think it was going to make a difference. Please,” I say.
Something flashes in his eyes. He looks away. Was it empathy? Yes, I think that's what it is. On some level, he's connected with what I've said. He sits down on the edge of the armchair and sighs.
“Okay. I'll give you as much time as I can, but even that's not going to be much. In three weeks, the matter will be out of my hands. Harris Corporation will proceed with the hostile takeover bid with or without you on board.”
He takes my hand and pulls me into a kiss. I sigh as his lips press against mine. My mouth tingles at the feel of his touch against me.
“I hope you understand I’m putting my job on the line too here,” he murmurs.
He leads me into the kitchen and hoists me up onto the counter, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I can trust you.”
“You can trust me,” I say sincerely.
He lifts his finger to my lips to quieten me.
“I know,” he mutters.
I shiver as he unbuttons my shirt, peeling it off, then he reaches up under my skirt and expertly peels down my panties. He removes them completely, tossing them on the ground beneath us, then he pushes me back until I lay flat against the counter.
“Ohh,” I gasp as he spreads my legs, his tongue thrusting inside me. I groan, arching my back in shock as he licks me. I certainly wasn't expecting this. He plunges his tongue deeper inside me, flicking and curling his tongue around my clit. I groan, running my hands through his hair, my grip tightening every time he invades me.
My thighs clench tightly around his neck as my toes curl under. I can barely handle what he’s doing, but I’m not about to ask him to stop. He hits every single spot while I writhe beneath him, my desire heightening, until I'm ready to explode.
With a loud cry, I shiver as my body convulses against his tongue. His eyes lock on mine as he continues to lick me until I can't take anymore. I frantically push him away, my pussy aching.
